Students had a variety of research ideas, but it was challenging for them to translate their ideas into feasible research questions. They found it most difficult when trying to connect their learned concepts with what they encounter in everyday life.

These interventions were especially important for those students who had difficulty in locating literature relevant to their research.

Assigned readings and consultation

For Group 6, who studied the course 'Global Environmental Governance': 'We were interested in this topic (Climate Refugee)...... We found relevant discussion in the academic papers assigned by the instructor...... With some rethinking and with our instructor's guidance, we were able to do our analysis with reference to the theories in the literature when formulating our study.'

Literature review and guest lectures
The course 'Self and Society' encourages students to critically explore the subtle impacts of the mass media.
Group 9: 'We decided to have "compensated dating" as our research topic for its controversial nature. We discussed this topic in lectures. We also consulted some academic papers, which point out that the way the media constructs social issues is often shaped by their particular point of view. It is also imperative for us to explore the relationship between social issues and the social structure. In addition, we arranged to meet some youngsters involved in compensated dating for further exchange after hearing them share their experiences in the guest lecture. The more we studied the topic, the more we realized that it is quite different from what we used to think of this issue.'

Comments from Dr. Chan, the course instructor:

'This group demonstrates how we can understand compensated dating as a social phenomenon by thinking beyond a dualistic and moralistic framework. Their study shows how we can make better sense of this social phenomenon from the perspectives of the social structure and social change -- more precisely, the changing youth labour market and the marketization of education in late modernity, the latter responsible for the soaring tuition fees in higher education.'

Peer discussion and consultation

Current affairs and 'hot' issues were usually what interested the students studying 'Perspectives on Citizenship'. There was ample room for students to approach these issues, but it was difficult for them to determine the research focus.

Group 4: 'We had a lot of discussion within our group. We raised questions, stated our stance, and even rebutted each other's points of views. We discussed topics such as "whether restrictions on smoking violate human rights", "powdered milk controversy from the perspective of Hong Kong-China conflicts", and "restricting the export of powdered milk under free trade". We learnt from our consultation with the instructors that different stakeholders have different interpretations of the concept of "free trade". Thus, we decided to fine-tune our research question and narrow down its scope. Our research focus was eventually set to be "Analysis of Government Policy on Restricting the Export of Powdered Milk".'